Capitol Police Arrest Man With Machete at Visitor Center Doors
WASHINGTON — A 44-year-old Washington, D.C. man was arrested at the Capitol Visitor Center Wednesday after officers spotted a machete during an X-ray of the bag he had been carrying.
According to a thread posted by the U.S. Capitol Police on the X social media platform, the man, now identified as Mel Horne, was stopped at about 2 p.m. during a routine security screening at the visitor center’s north doors.
Officers found three additional knives in the bag and arrested the man on multiple charges of carrying a dangerous weapon.
“Our officers know they cannot let their guard down for one second,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. “It is this constant focus and attention to detail that helps keep this campus safe.”
Manger said officers are continuing to talk to Horne and that as yet, they don’t know what his motive for entering the building was.
As a result of the incident, security screening was temporarily stopped at the north side of the Capitol Visitor Center, but the checkpoint was reopened about an hour later.
The arrest came as thousands of visitors were paying their respects to former President Jimmy Carter, whose body is lying in state in the Capitol rotunda.
The incident didn’t stop the public viewing, which is expected to continue throughout the night, into Thursday morning.
It also came just hours before President-elect Donald Trump was expected to arrive at the Capitol to pay his respects to Carter before meeting with Senate Republicans.
Though Trump has been on Capitol Hill since leaving office, most notably paying a visit to the Capitol Club next to Republican National Committee headquarters last summer, Wednesday’s visit is his first to the Capitol building itself since he left office in 2021.
Trump and the senators are expected to discuss plans to advance his agenda during the first 100 days of the new administration.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
